The blade lost its snap

Slowstarter · Oct 12, 2015

My blade on my Victorinox Farmer has lost its snap. It won´t go back with a click. It just falls back quietly. What has happened? What can I do to get that mighty snap back??

SAK Guy · Oct 12, 2015

Soak it in hot soapy water, dry with a blowdryer and immerse in some mineral oil for a day or two...work the blade back and forth during all the steps. I have restored the snap to some badly neglected ALOX blades with these steps.

znapschatz · Oct 12, 2015

Slowstarter said:
My blade on my Victorinox Farmer has lost its snap. It won´t go back with a click. It just falls back quietly. What has happened? What can I do to get that mighty snap back??

SAK Guy said:
Soak it in hot soapy water, dry with a blowdryer and immerse in some mineral oil for a day or two...work the blade back and forth during all the steps. I have restored the snap to some badly neglected ALOX blades with these steps.

Before you do that, try blowing out the innards with canned or compressed air. If no joy, then a squirt of WD40. That has often worked for me. If it is still not snappy, then use the SAK Guy method.

gadgetgeek · Oct 13, 2015

I'm assuming its still under some tension, otherwise it would also swing open some. So yeah, a little spa treatment and it should be snappy and happy. I do hot soapy water pretty often, even near boiling water, as it helps them dry.

SAK Guy · Oct 13, 2015

gadgetgeek said:
I'm assuming its still under some tension, otherwise it would also swing open some. So yeah, a little spa treatment and it should be snappy and happy. I do hot soapy water pretty often, even near boiling water, as it helps them dry.

+1 You can go very hot with ALOX! :thumbup:

Captain Howdy · Oct 13, 2015

Soapy water and then an oil bath usually work well. I'm soaking a 40 year old solider at the moment. The knife looks hardly used if at all, I think the 40 year old factory grease has gummed up.

555 · Oct 13, 2015

Another one that has used the clean and mineral oil routine, to bring back the snap.

A.L. · Oct 14, 2015

Happens all the time for SAKs. Some dirt or micro pocket lint gets to the joints and makes the walk sticky. I just run some hot water from the faucet and move the joints. Dry the knife after that. WD-10 is good too like mentioned, but it's not very lubricating so it might make the knife little gritty first. It will pass soon.